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Best Speech of Your Life

the new brad pitt movie

Published about 1 year ago • 1 min read

July 11, 2025

hey team,

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I saw the new Brad Pitt F1 movie the other night. It was okay.

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More accurately, I hated the first two hours, but the final race was so perfectly executed in every way - suspense, sound, dialogue - that I got tricked into thinking I liked the movie. Endings can do that.
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Other than the hypocrisy of rooting for Brad Pitt's character and it being such a blatant Top Gun rip-off that I expected Javier Bardem to yell "Dammit Maverick," my biggest gripe was with the announcers.
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I don't know anything about Formula 1, but I do know the announcers can not possibly have dialogue like that. They were speaking to the audience on such an insulting level, only a notch above saying "and now Brad Pitt hits the brakes. Brakes make you go slower" or "now look how his hands move the steering wheel to the left around this turn!”
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Those announcers made a classic mistake that speakers make all the time: they confused "accessible" with "condescending." It reminded me of a conversation I once had with Jon Collins from The Bible Project.

You've doubtlessly heard that you need to dumb things down for your audience. As Jon says, that's the wrong approach:

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​You don't need to dumb it down. Your audience isn't dumb. They're smart. They're just uninformed.​
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Your audience is smart. They're just uninformed. Treat them that way and you'll have a more successful speech.
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And one that's more fun.
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(Full episode here. And yes, someday I will restart the podcast)
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Speak well, my friends
Mike

600 1st Ave, Ste 330 PMB 92768, Seattle, WA 98104-2246
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Best Speech of Your Life

by Mike Pacchione and his kinda weird brain

I help you deliver the best speech of your life. Thoughts and instruction on speaking, storytelling and how to have fun on stage Also, I think exclamation points are stupid

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